Education

• B.A., 1984  Grinnell College  Grinnell, IA

• Ph.D. 1992  University of Illinois  Champaign, IL

 Family

• My wife Paula is an attorney working in juvenile court here in Douglas County, NE.

• We have two children, Erin (age 7) & Ben (age 3). Just ask and I’ll tell you all about their latest antics!

• My father, a former theologian, is a criminal defense attorney in Kansas City, MO.

• My mother teaches nursing at Kansas University Medical Center, in Kansas City, KS.

• My sister is an artist, a licensed massage therapist (every family should have one!), and a registered nurse. 

• My brother (19 years younger than me!), is finishing his undergraduate degree at Cornell University.

Places I Have Lived

• Louisville, KY (birthplace)

• Heidelberg, West Germany (from 2-6 years old)

• Kansas City, KS/MO (most of my formative years here)

• Grinnell, IA (attending Grinnell College)

• Champaign-Urbana, IL (attending University of Illinois for graduate school)

• Memphis, TN (post-doctoral position at the University of Memphis)

• Lincoln, NE (teaching at Creighton University, wife going to law school at UNL)

• Omaha, NE (feels like home)

Miscellaneous Facts 

• My career ambition when I was in the 4^th grade was to be an oceanographer.  Spending my life in the midwest, a thousand miles from the ocean, may have been a deterrent. 

• I played the violin for 8 years, but decided I did not have the dedication necessary to be a concert violinist.  I regret giving it up, but I still have the violin and think maybe someday I'll start playing it again...maybe? 

• My current hobbies include photography, playing racquetball, cycling, reading (Richard Russo’s books are currently among my favorites), and watching movies.

• Last concert I went to was Norah Jones and the Handsome Band (10/23/04, Kansas City); one of my fantasies is that I will write a song that Norah Jones will record and put on her next album.

• I am a cancer survivor.  I was diagnosed with cancer in July of 2003 and finished cancer treatment in mid-December 2003.  I am now one full year post-treatment.  Live strong.